Search location by ZIP code

Candidates wait for returns as polls begin closing in Kentucky

A slow, but steady stream of voters cast ballots Tuesday at polling placing across Jefferson County and the WLKY viewing area.

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 6:53 PM EDT May 20, 2014

Candidates wait for returns as polls begin closing in Kentucky

A slow, but steady stream of voters cast ballots Tuesday at polling placing across Jefferson County and the WLKY viewing area.

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 6:53 PM EDT May 20, 2014

Hide TranscriptShow Transcript

WEBVTT I'M VICKI DORTCH. IT IS PRIMARY DAY IN KENTUCKY, AND THE POLLS ARE ABOUT TO CLOSE ACROSS MOST OF THE STATE. REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS ARE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THE U-S SENATE RACE IN THE BLUEGRASS. SENATE MINORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL IS SEEKING A SIXTH TERM. BUT HE'S FACING FOUR CHALLENGERS IN THE G- O-P PRIMARY, INCLUDING LOUISVILLE BUSINESSMAN MATT BEVIN. WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE OF THE RACE TONIGHT. TIM ELLIOTT IS WITH BEVIN'S CAMPAIGN. BUT FIRST, MARISSA ALTER IS LIVE AT THE MARRIOTT EAST, WHERE SENATOR MCCONNELL WILL BE SPEAKING LATER TONIGHT... MARISSA? BEHIND ME IS WHERE SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL IS EXPECTED TO GIVE HIS VICTORY SPEECH... OVER TEA PARTY BACKED MATT BEVIN AND THREE OTHER CANDIDATES IN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY. MCCONNELL MADE SURE TO CAST HIS BALLOT THIS MORNING. THIS IS VIDEO FROM BELLARMINE'S CAMPUS WHERE THE SENATE'S MOST POWERFUL REPUBLICAN VOTED THIS MORNING. MCCONNELL HAS BEEN IN OFFICE SINCE 1984... AND HOPES TODAY IS THE FIRST STEP TO SECURING A SIXTH TERM THERE. HIS BIGGEST PRIMARY OPPONENT -- MATT BEVIN -- IS TRYING TO CAPITALIZE ON ANTI-INCUMBENT SENTIMENT. BUT MCCONNELL TRIED TO USE HIS YEARS IN OFFICE AS A PLUS... AS HE CRISS- CROSSED THE STATE YESTERDAY IN A FINAL PRIMARY CAMPAIGN PUSH. HE TOLD VOTERS HOW HIS INFLUENCE WOULD BE A HUGE LOSS FOR KENTUCKY. MCCONNELL ALSO DIDN'T REALLY FOCUS ON BEVIN AND INSTEAD TOOK AIM AT PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA... WHICH MAY BE A HINT AT HIS STRATEGY MOVING FORWARD. THIS IS A RACE THAT ALL EYES ARE FOCUSED ON.. NOT JUST IN KENTUCKY.. BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY. Steve Robertson/Kentucky Republican Party Chair: It's a hugely important race. There is a national effort for republicans to retake the maJority of the united states senate..keeping a seat in Kentucky is a lynchpin in that plan. So when you have the leader of any political party facing a pretty aggressive primary opponent and then turning and having to face a pretty aggressive general election opponent..it's aways going to get national news. And this one is. DOORS JUST OPENED HERE TO THE PUBLIC AND THEY ARE EXPECTING A PRETTY GOOD CROWD TO WATCH THE POLL NUMBERS COME IN AND HEAR MCCONNELL SPEAK. LIVE FROM THE MARRIOTT EAST, MARISSA ALTER WLKY NEWS. MATT BEVIN WAS SEEN AS THE MOST SERIOUS OF THE FOUR CHALLENGERS TO SENATOR MCCONNELL. TIM ELLIOTT IS LIVE AT THE CROWNE PLAZA, WHERE WE WILL HEAR FROM THE TEA PARTY-BACKED CANDIDATE LATER TONIGHT... TIM? MATT BEVIN IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE MOMENTARILY HERE AT THE CROWNE PLAZA. HIS STAGE IS SET FOR WHAT HE HOPES IS HIS VICTORY SPEECH LATER TONIGHT. HE DOES HAVE A TOUGH TASK AHEAD OF HIM THOUGH. HE MUST TAKE DOWN THE TOP REPUBLICAN IN WASHINGTON, MITCH MCCONNELL. BEVIN CAST HIS BALLOT EARLIER TODAY AT THE LOUISVILLE PRESBYTERIAN SEMINARY AND HE DID RUN INTO A BIT OF AN ISSUE. APPARENTLY THE MACHINE SPIT HIS FIRST BALLOT OUT AND HE HAD TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN. SO A MINOR MIX-UP THERE. BEVIN IS A POLITICAL NEWCOMER. MITCH MCCONNELL MEANWHILE IS LOOKING FOR HIS 6TH CONSECUTIVE TERM IN THE U.S. SENATE. BEVIN BELIEVES PEOPLE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF MCCONNELL AND HIS QUOTE "TIRED, STALE, AND POINTLESS IDEAS". HE'S HOPING TO SWAY UNDECIDED VOTERS IN HIS FAVOR. BUT AS WE'VE BEEN SAYING, UNSEATING MCCONNELL WON'T BE EASY. RECENT POLLS SHOW THAT MCCONNELL HAS A COMMANDING LEAD OVER BEVIN. BEVIN AND HIS CAMP THOUGH REMAIN OPTIMISTIC AS THEY HAVE ALL THROUGHOUT THIS CAMPAIGN. BEVIN TOLD ME LAST NIGHT, HE'S TRAVELED 48- THOUSAND MILES THROUGH THE STATE OF KENTUCKY DURING HIS CAMPAIGN. HE HOPES EVENTUALLY THAT HE WILL TRAVEL TO WASHINGTON D-C TO CLAIM HIS SEAT IN THE U-S SENATE. REPORTING LIVE FROM THE CROWNE PLAZA TIM ELLIOTT WLKY NEWS. THE WINNER OF THE G-O-P PRIMARY WILL FACE WHOEVER COMES OUT ON TOP IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY. SECRETARY OF STATE ALISON LUNDERGAN GRIMES HAS BEEN THE FRONTRUNNER AMONG THE FOUR CANDIDATES. LAUREN ADAMS IS WITH THE GRIMES CAMPAIGN TONIGHT. SHE IS LIVE IN LEXINGTON... LAUREN? ALISON LUNDERGAN GRIMES IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE HERE SOMETIME AFTER 7. AND THE STAGE IS SET. THIS IS WHERE HER TEAM TELLS ME THEY'RE EXPECTING GRIMES TO GIVE HER VICTORY SPEECH. BUT STARTING IN THE NEXT HOUR, WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN TO SEE STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS UP HERE. EVEN GOVERNOR STEVE BESHEAR IS EXPECTED TO MAKE SOME BRIEF REMARKS. GRIMES CAST HER BALLOT EARLY THIS MORNING HERE IN LEXINGTON - THAT WAS AROUND 7:30. FROM THERE IT WAS ON TO FRANKFORT TO THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS. THAT'S WHERE GRIMES WILL REMAIN UNTIL POLLS CLOSE ACROSS THE STATE AT 7 TONIGHT. SHE'S EXPECTED TO WAIT ON SOME EARLY RETURNS BEFORE HEADING BACK HERE TO LEXINGTON. GUESTS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN ARRIVING HERE AT THE CARRICK HOUSE IN THE NEXT FEW MINUTES FOR WHAT GRIMES TEAM IS CONFIDENT WILL BE A CELEBRATORY EVENT. LIVE IN LEXINGTON, LAUREN ADAMS WLKY NEWS. C-B-S NEWS CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT - NANCY CORDES - USUALLY FOLLOWS SENATOR MCCONNELL ON CAPITOL HILL, BUT TODAY SHE FOLLOWED HIM ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL HERE IN LOUISVILLE - ALONG WITH BEVIN. SHE SAYS THE OUTCOME OF THE RACE COULD SHIFT POWER ON CAPITOL HILL. SOT Nancy Cordes/CBS News Political Correspondent: The senate could change hands in November. Republicans only need about six seats in order to retake control of the Senate, and Democrats see this one seat as a potential pick up for them. YOU WILL HEAR MORE FROM NANCY CORDES' CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATES - COMING UP ON THE C-B-S EVENING NEWS. THERE WERE SEVEN LOUISVILLE METRO COUNCIL PRIMARIES ON THE BALLOT TODAY. THIS IS THE YEAR FOR ODD-NUMBERED COUNCIL DISTRICTS TO ELECT THEIR REPRESENTATIVES. THE MOST HOTLY CONTESTED RACE IS THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR DISTRICT NINE... WHICH HAS 13 CANDIDATES ON THE SLATE. THAT SEAT IS HELD BY TINA WARD-PUGH - WHO IS RETIRING AFTER WINNING THREE RACES SINCE THE CITY-COUNTY MERGER. THE WINNER WILL FACE REPUBLICAN LAURA RICE. IN EAST LOUISVILLE, REPUBLICAN KEN FLEMING IS ALSO LEAVING HIS DISTRICT SEVEN SEAT. SHAWN SLONE AND ANGELA LEET WANT TO REPLACE HIM ON THE G- O-P TICKET. FIVE DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENTS HAD CHALLENGERS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE PRIMARIES. IN DISTRICT ONE, ATTICA SCOTT FACED JESSICA GREEN, WHO IS THE DAUGHTER OF FORMER COUNCILWOMAN JUDY GREEN. MARY WOOLDRIDGE, IN DISTRICT THREE, FACED FORMER JEFFERSON COUNTY CONSTABLE DAVID WHITLOCK. CHERI BRYANT HAMILTON HAD ONE CHALLENGER IN DISTRICT 5... IN DISTRICT 15, MARIANNE BUTLER HAD TWO OPPONENTS... AND DAN JOHNSON HAD TWO CHALLENGERS IN DISTRICT 21. LOUISVILLE'S MAYORAL RACE WAS NOT ON TODAY'S BALLOT. MAYOR GREG FISCHER RAN UNOPPOSED IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY. HE WILL FACE REPUBLICAN BOB DEVORE - WHO PREVIOUSLY MADE A FAILED RUN FOR